Rogers Motorola RAZR dropping to $0 on 3-year this weekend at Future Shop

This weekend will see a flurry of smartphone sales, starting with the new Motorola RAZR. This thin Android will eventually be upgraded to OS 4.0 and was only released a couple weeks ago. Starting on Friday, until Sunday, the RAZR will get a $150 savings from Future Shop on a 3-year contract. Certainly something to think about, but make sure you read our full review here.

(Thanks tipster!)

gabriel

First!

jeangray

I hope the when the galaxy nexus comes out, it’ll drop to $0 just as fast.

jclg

Agreed! I’m thinking about signing up with Telus; if it means waiting ’til February to save $150, so be it. As long as I get a reasonably good plan, I’ll wait it out. I’ve already been waiting since September, anyway.

JT

Is this for new customers only or will a 3 year renewal work?

Tom

Good question JT.

I once saw an ad like the above one, but from BestBuy. I went to the store and was told that I was not eligible. I was eligible for a new phone, but I was an existing customer. I had brought the ad with me and could point out that it didn’t say that anywhere on the ad, but that didn’t help.

This is slimy both because I was being penalized for being a loyal customer, and because it was deceptive marketing.

They said the marketing aspect was just a mistake, but they have made all their deals and plans and restrictions so complicated that they are making mistakes like that everyday – they really have no idea what is going on anymore and it is the customer who suffers.

(but not end of anger at state of our wireless industry)

JB

Thats a huge piss off, I just paid $150. Hmm, may have to return and go to Future Shop. May see if Wireless Wave can match this price or refund me. Anyone have any experience trying to do something like that?

Dylan K

JB, as long as you are within the return policy you should be fine.

Lean-N-Supreme

That was quick for the price reduction…

Malevolent

Nice phone but not being able to replace the battery is an issue for me. I hope the Galaxy Nexus hurries up to Rogers!

techq

You realize the battery is not swappable in the Nexus as well right? Also no expandable memory.

WetCardboard

It should be mentioned in this articles about pricing that this is for NEW customers only, not existing. Future Shop barely makes any money on upgrades to begin with (no dealer does) so they certainly won’t be discounting the phone on upgrades.

Jimmy

I just talked to rogers and they said if I want to upgrade to another phone, I would have to pay the early hardware upgrade fee which is 365 for me. So if I pay this, does that mean I’m elgibile fo this razr?

Fenrir

Since you are an existing rogers customer the price would be the early upgrade fee and the regular price of the phone 149.99 the 0$ at futureshop is for new activations only.

shawn

While its true that futureshop may say that you must be a new customer, be assured this isn’t allowed. I recently spoke with Rogers and they clearly stated to me that Future Shop and any other 3rd party dealer are bound by rules not allowing them to discriminate against new or current Rogers clients/subscribers. This would include discounted prices, purchasing phones out right etc.

Fenrir

Actually they are as is any dealer. Best Buy and Futureshop have been doing it since they oppened and you often see special prices and plans available at Planet Mobile. It’s the same thing as the carriers for example the tablet deal with Rogers is only available for New Customers and not existing ones that renew. This pricing is the same principle as that. I don’t know who you talked to at Rogers but they are wrong

Also it is impossible to offer any discounts on phone prices to any Rogers customers as the phone is billed to your account and you pay nothing in store meaning if it says 149.99 on the contract that’s what you pay. One of the reasons that Best Buy and Futureshop are allowed to do this is that they carrie almost everyone which means that the prices have to be competitve across the board or else why are the reps going to suggest Rogers when a Bell Galaxy S2 is cheaper etc.

tmcquake

Of course at the bottom of the ad it says “not available in Thunder Bay”. F-ing Tbaytel.

Shammy

This also means that customers are paying full rate price for their plans when they get the RAZR at this price…

Tom@BBM

@TOM and anoyone else who thinks that BestBuy and FutureShop (and any other reseller/retailer who has similar pricing) have to give the promo price for renewal, or even MENTION it in the ad:

It is NOT BestBuy et al who dictates your renewal price. Trust me, if Rogers (the most criminal of all Canadian cellular companies) allowed us to dicatate renewal fees and prices, we would.

Besides that, we (BestBuy) LOSE money when we re-new your Rogers/Fido contracts, so even if we COULD discount it to this price, we wouldnt and you can thank your wireless carrier for that. Saying that Best Buy, Future Shop, Wireless Wave or Cabine T are “misleading” or “slimy” is plain wrong.

@Shawn, whoever told you that straight up lied to you. Be assured, you are wrong.

Tom@BBM

@Shammy why would you get a RAZR or any smartphone, JUST to use it as a phone? WiFi is not as readily available as you think it is and even then…WHY??

If your going to buy a phone like the RAZR, you get a plan that will take full advantage of its capabilities. If you just want a phone, go to the prepaid section and get a flip phone.

Those of us who want to actually use our phone the way it was made to, are smart to take the data plans because we get the phone (in this case free) and a very capable plan.

If you buy your phone full price and still use a data plan on it, youll only pay the same price over 3 years on TOP of the full price of your phone.

Yup, makes perfect economic sense.

shawn

When I went to future shop on the 10th to buy a sgs2 LTE I was told that I couldn’t purchase the phone out right. Even though they DID have them in stock. They claimed they were only allowed to sell them to people that were new or upgrading to a 3 year term. In frustration I emailed rogers and future shop explaining what had happened. Rogers emailed me back stating just what I earlier wrote; that no dealer is allowed to discriminate against any customer new or existing. They said they’d investigate the location I went to. On the monday after the weekend I received a call from the store manager apologizing about the “miscommunication” and not only offered to sell me the phone out right but gave me a $25 dollar gift card.

Fenrir

That may have been so with the Galaxy S2 LTE especially since rogers is putting a big push on LTE. I do guarante that if you had asked the same question about an Iphone 4s full price you would not have even gotten a call back. Retailers reserve the right to sell to who they want to and to sell depending on the amout of stock they have available. If they have 2 left and don’t want to sell it outright they don’t have to. If they have 14 left and don’t well that’s another story and the reason why you got a call back is they did not have a limited supply

shawn

The only reason I got a call back is because of actions I took. My point is that as consumers you have to be a man and stand up for yourself! these stores will walk all over you unless you call they’re bluff.

blahblahblah

they might as well ask for my first born! stupid 3 year contract

Tom@BBM

I assure you, Shawn, that they did not call you back because of your “manly” actions. They called you back because they wanted to sell you a phone to hit their revenue targets. If they had limited stock, which they probably did when they refused you, they had every right to refuse you; especially when it comes to Rogers, selling phones outright loses money for the store. IF they had limited stock, they will refuse you because the next person behind you will take it on a contract for which Rogers gives the store a cut.

It was not because of Rogers or Bell or anyone else that you got a call back. These carriers have zero say in what we sell or who we sell it to. If you want to buy a full price phone, go to Rogers instead. If they have none left, you should consider changing carriers to a company that has the stock to service the needs of their customers.

You didnt call anyones bluff at all, instead the store made their revenue, Rogers will continue to rip you off and all your left with is a phone and empty pockets.

shawn

Wow Tom thanks for the insight! As it turns out in my case I didnt end up buying my phone from future shop; I found another store that weekend and picked up the razr. But I did take them up on the $25 gift card. So no they didnt make any money on me. And I’m sure if I didnt stand up for myself nothing woulda happened BRO

bjtheone

Actually if they were advertising with a full buy outright price and have stock they have to honor their offer. They legally can’t cherry pick. However, on hot phone they certainly try to. If they are advertising a outright price and verify that they have stock they have to sell it to you. Likely will take esculating to a store manager to get them to honor their advertised price as they make a lot more off new activations. To do otherwise is false advertising.

Tom@BBM

Yup, you sure stood tall on that one. Good job, im sure you’ll get full value for that 25$ gift card.

Ken

Tried real hard to convince Future Shop to let me do an upgrade with 3-year plan, but they wouldn’t go for it. Anyone else succeed in getting an upgrade for free? If you look at the Future Shop flyer, it only says 3-year plan, it does not mention “new activation”. Best Buy is offering the RAZR for $99 on select 3-year plans with new activation — they specify it in their flyer. Future Shop does not. I will try again on Saturday 😉